Agglomerating device



Jan# 7, 1947. F.`DERF| ER AGQLOMERATINQ DEVICE Filed Feb. 3, 1944 NNW.

n mw my m N m W |v. H N. M -:ET Y l Y lQN -I u B IW E M x w Sw NN n n E M @n mw WN @N N\ .Il .L `N\ N| l limiw* p ww WI N "um N\ Patented Jan. 7, 1947 AGGLOMERATING DEVICE Frank Derfler, East St. Louis, Ill., assignor to Aluminum Company' of America, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation ot Pennsylvania Application February 3, 1944, serial No. 520,969

4 claims. (crass-3) the particles of the material are pebbled or agglomerated into various shapes are well known. The present invention has, among its objects, the

A provision of devices for practicing such processes which eliminate extensive handling of the materials being processed; which form and compact the materials continuously while returning underslzed or incomplete shapes for further processing; which are compact, inexpensive and contain a l minimum of moving parts; which, being continuously operable,l may be utilized to avoid vbatch or lot processing; which operate'without constant attention of the operator, and in which the Iforming and compacting of the powdered material may be continuously'performed when means are provided for delivering the material to the .operation at a predetermined rate of I'low.

The invention may be best described and explained with reference to the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawing in which like numerals designate like parts.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view in cross section of a device embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a further cross sectional view at right angles to the View of Fig. 1, taken at the point indicated by the line 2 2 in Fig. l. i

As shown in the drawing, the devices comprise a structure formed of two elongate concentric chambers It and EI separated by a common Wall and having delivery means for transferring material from the processing chamber Il) to the sorting chamber I I (said means being here shown as vanes I 2 and openings- 28) and means such as the perforate wall of chamber' II for returnlng to the tumbling operation under-sized or kincomplete shapes as well as material which has failed to compact and form into shape vduring its first passage through the tumbling chamber, provided also are means such as helixes 22, 24 for insuring positive directional movement of the material. Y

'Ihe materials may be brought to the devices in any suitable way, but where the mechanism is to be used for processing a predetermined ilow of cases is a means for feeding binder to the tuin-v bling chamber where binder must be used in order to secure the agglomeration of the powder into shape. -In some cases the binder, particularly if itv be a solid, may be fed with the material. In. other cases it may be separately fed, either in whole or in part, .through some device, such as pipe i4, if the binder is liquid, or a gravity feed or screw feed may replace pipe I4 if the binder is a solid.

More specifically the apparatus shown in the drawing consists of a rotatable cylinder I forming a tumbling chamber and mounted on trunnions I5. The cylinder is 'rotated by drive shaft IB, movement to said shaft being imparted from a motor indicated at I9 through sprocket I1 and chain I8. All of these parts are'mounted on the frame 20. A retaining ring ZI is xed to the outer end of the cylinder or chamber Ill and the width of this ring controls the depth of the material which will be held in the rotating champrocessed, which might result from uneven op.-

eration of the delivery device i3. A helix '22, or similar means, is iixed ontl'ie inner surface of the chamber i0 to insure positive movement of the material being processed towards the rear of the chamber during operation.

The inner or sorting chamber Ii is preferably supported from the rear, and end, wall 23 of the chamber I0 so that both chambers rotate at the same speed. It will be apparent, however, that chamber II may be separately rotated, if desirable or if operating circumstances should so require, in` which Acase this chamber may be separately'suspended in the outer chamber on a suitable shaft and separately rotated. The open end of chamber Ii registers with the open end of chamber i0 and a. helix 24, or similar device, provided on the inner surface of chamber II positively'feeds any material in the chamberto said open end where such of the shapes as are of finished size fall into a hopper or gravity-trans-l fer device, such as indicated at 25. At least one opening or port 26'is lprovided at the rear end of chamber II and varies I2 attached to endwall 23 are so positioned relative to said openings that as chamber I0 rotates they pick up material fed to the rear of the chamber and positively guide the fall of said material through the openings. An

inclined surface 28 is so positioned in chamber I I and relative to openings 26 as to immediately guide material falling through said openings away 'from the area of the openings so that said material does not register with said openings and return to'chamber I0 during rotation of the device. Plates I2 attached to said surface 28 and extending to the wall f chamber II serve as continuations of the vanes I2 and prevent material dropping into the chamber Il from sliding around the surface 28 and through a lower opening 26. All, or a portion, of the wall of chamber II is perforated with openings 29 of predeterf mined size, through which the formed and compacted shapes which are of proper size will not pass but through which unformed material. and incomplete and under-sized shapes'will again return to the chamber I0 for further processing. It is, however, desirable to provide a perforate chamber wall only, as shown, at the outer end of ,chamber I I and to so construct the perforate portion of the chamber II wall that it may be easily detached from the remainder of the chamber and replaced with another Wall portion having perforations 29 of greater or less size. In this way the device may b3 made flexible to deliver any predetermined size of formed and compacted shapes as a final product.

In the preferred formof the invention herein illustrated an open end hopper 21 surrounds the -perforate portion of the inner chamber II and receives material therefrom which thereafter falls from the hopper into the outer chamber. The principal function of hopper 21, which is attached to chamber I I, is to provide a chamber in which partially agglomerated particles, or other unfinished material, may -be further treated .with binder before returned tothe chamber I9 for further processing. When this hopper 21 is used, the binder delivery means,l here represented by the pipe I4, may feed directly into the hopper as shown, or two binder feeders may be provided, one to feed binder to the material in the hopper and one to feed binder to the material in the chamber I'. The hopper 21 also serves as a shield to prevent unagglomerated material in chamber l0 yfrom falling into chamber II through perforations 29.

4 delivery end of the chamber. Likewise, if the materials are free flowing, means, such as helix 24, may be replaced by sloping the walls of the chamber to maintain gravity flow to. the open end thereof. Again where the exigencies of the operation are such that delivery of the undersized shapes directly to the outer chamber through openings provided between the delivery means and the exit, or open end, of the inner chamber is undesirable, the length of the inner chamber may be extended out of and` beyond the. outer chamber and the openings, such as 29, so arranged in the extended portions as to deliver the under-,sized to a device by which the under-sized are indirectly returned to the outer chamber. These and similar modifications of the principles and mode of operation of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

The simplicity and efficiency of the operation of, the preferred devices of this invention is immediately apparent. Powdered material which is to be formed and compacted into shape is placed in the outer chamber I0 at the front, or open end, portion thereof. Motor I9 isstarted causing rotation of the device. At the start a binder is mixed with the powder in chamber I0 in some suitable way, as above indicated, and rotation of the binder and powdered material in the chamber causes. as is known, the powdered material to agglomerate or ball up into compact While the above description is of a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent therefrom that the devices described broadly comprise an inner chamber, an outer chamber, a passageway for the transfer of materials from the outer to -the inner chamber, means for rev turning under-sized shapes to the outer chamber for further processing and means for es-v tablishing and maintaining a progres-sive flow of material from its point of entry into the outer chamber through that chamber into the inner chamber and through the inner chamber to the points Iwhere unfinished material is returned to the outer chamber for further processing and finished shapes of predetermined size are delivered. Thus the invention admits of several modifications, some more useful than others, depending upon the agglomerating problem at hand. For instance, the shielding means described for preventing back flow of materials through openings 29 may be disposed with or other obvious means provided. The inner chamber may be rotated for best results, but if desired, it may be stationary, in which case movable means, such as rakes, may be substituted for the helix 24 to insure positive movement of the material over the openings 29 and to the masses or shapes. As rotation proceeds, the material under process is gradually displaced toward the rear of the chamber by helix 22. At' the rear of the chamber the material, which is constantly being lifted by the rotation of the device, falls over vanes I2 through theopenings or 'passageway 26 into chamber II, where helix 24 guides the material toward the front, or open end, of chamber II over the perforate portion of the walls of said chamber. Material not formed and compactedinto shapes of the desired size falls through the perforations in the chamber wall into hopper 21, if said hopper is provided, or directly into chamber I0, if -hopper 21 is not used. In the hopper 21 the partially agglomerated and unagglomerated material is again treated with binder through pipe I4 and eventually, due to the rotation of the device and the inclined surface of the hopper, the material again falls into chamber l0, where it becomes mixed with the material lunder process and is recycled. The/formed shapes which are of proper size and which come into chamber II through 'openings 26 move over the perforate portions of .the wall of that chamber and fall from the chambers open end into the disposal device 25.

Because of compactness and lack of moving parts, the devices of this invention are particularly adapted to commercial operations Where a large bulk of material is handled. The device may be operated on material that is intermittently fed to the outer chamber in batches, but considerable advantage is derived if the powdered material and the binder, if necessary, are furnished to chamber Ill-at a predetermined rate of flow. It will be noted that once the proper materials are furnished to the tumbling chamber I0 and the rotation of the device is initiated, only a finished product is delivered, while -the under-sized is continuously recycled until it has achieved proper' size. Therefore, once the flow of material into the apparatus is established at a rate equal to the flow of finished material fromI chamberII into disposal device 25, theoperator.

has no further duties except to .receive the iinished article.

At the start of such an operation as above described, it is often necessary or desirable to furnish partially agglomerated or seed shapes to i necessity for this separate seeding operation (except at the very beginning of the process), because the partially agglomerated or shaped particles which fall through the perforate portion of the sorting chamber automatically return to the processing or tumbling chamber and furnish the depoint of exit to the inner chamber, means-for progressively moving materials delivered from the outer chamber to the inner chamber from the sired seed. However, in some instances it may n be desirable to add seed at intervals.

While the means and mode of operation which characterize this invention have been described with the relation to a specific embodiment thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments may be constructed without departure from the mode of operation and basic arrangement of parts herein described.

1. A device for forming and cmpacting powdered materials into shapes of predetermined size', said device including a rotatable structure containing outer and inner elongate concentric chambers separated by a common wall and connected adjacent one end with a passageway through which materials. contained in the outer `chamber may be passed to the inner chamber during rotation, means for rotating said structure, openings disposed in said common wall at points removed from said passageway, said openings being dimensioned to prevent passage therethrough of shapes of said predetermined size, al chamber intermediate said outer and inner chambers into which materials passing through said openings fall said chamber having an opening at one end thereof whereby materials contained therein will, during rotation, be passed to said outer chamber, means for ,applying a binder to materials in said last mentioned chamber, means for progressively moving material in the outer chamber along said chamber toward said passageway during the rotation of the structure, and means for progressively moving material delivered through said passageway to the inner chamber along said inner chamber away from said passageway and over said openings during said rotation.

2. A device for continuously forming and compacting powdered materials into shapes of predetermined size comprising, in combination, a structure deiining outer and inner elongate chambers separated by a common wall and connected at one end with an opening which serves as an exit for materials from the outer chamber and an entry to the innerchamber, an entry for materials adjacent the-other end oi' the outer chamber, an exit for nished shapes adjacent the other l end oi! the inner chamber, means for feeding materials at a predetermined rate of now into said outer chamber, means for imparting rotary movement to the materials fed to said outer chamber, means for progressively moving materials in the outer chamber from their point oi entry to their point of entry in the 'inner chamber to the exit therefrom, means disposed in the path of said latter movement for returning to the outer chamber shapes smaller than said predetermined size, said means comprising a series of openings disposed in said common wall and dimensioned to receive andpass therethrough said smaller shapes, and an imperforate shield disposed in the outer chamber and adjacent said openings and spaced from said openings to form a wall extending .around the openings in said common wall to form an intermediate chamber in'said outer chamber and thereby to prevent the entry through said openings of materials flowing through said outer chamber.

3. In a device for forming and compacting powdered materialsl into shapes of predetermined size, in combination, a rotatable structure containing Vouter and inner elongate concentric chambers separated by a common wall and connected at one end with a passage serving as an exit for materials from the outer chamber and an lentry for materials into the inner chamber, an

entry for materials disposed at the opposite end of the outer chamber, an exit for finished shapes disposed at the corresponding end foi the inner chamber, means for rotating? said structure,

Imeans for progressively moving rotating materials in the outer chamber from the entry to the exit of said chamber', means for progressivelymoving materials delivered to the inner chamber from the point of entry thereinto to the point of exit, openings disposed in said common wall between the point of entry and point of exit in said inner chamber said openings being dimensioned to permit the passage therethrough of materials smaller than said shapes of predetermined size, and means disposed in said outer chamber and spaced around said openings to prevent the passage therethrough of materials moving from said A posed in the wall of the chamber at points between said passageway and the open end oi the chamber, said openings being dimensioned to permit passage therethrough to the cylinder of agglomerated shapes of less than Said predetermined size, means for maintaining a positive ow of materials from their point of entry into the cylinder toward and through said passageway and thence from their point of entry into the chamber to the open end thereof and over said openings, and means disposed adjacent said openings and out of said chamber to prevent entry through said openings to said chamber of materials flowing through the cylinder said means being an imperforate wall spaced from the outer wall of said chamber.

FRANK DERFLER. 

